By Catholic Stewardship Consultants
www.CatholicSteward.com
Stewardship doesn’t end with retirement. It doesn’t end when we write our last check to the parish or serve in our final ministry. It continues for as long as God entrusts us with his gifts, including the decisions we make about what will happen to those gifts after we are gone.
For many people, creating a will or estate plan is something they put off for another day. Others complete one but never think about updating it as their lives change. Yet taking the time to prepare a will is an important responsibility, both for the loved ones we leave behind and for the causes that have helped shape our lives.
As Catholic stewards, we believe everything we have belongs first to God. He has entrusted us with our possessions for a time, asking us to use them wisely and generously. That understanding doesn’t change simply because we are planning for the future. In fact, estate planning gives us one more opportunity to put our faith into action.
When you meet with an attorney to prepare your will or revocable living trust, your priority should naturally be providing for your family. But it is also worth asking another question: Is there a place in my plans for the church?
Think about the role your parish has played in your life. It may be where you were baptized, celebrated your marriage, watched your children receive the sacraments, or found strength during times of grief. Perhaps a Catholic school, ministry or charitable organization has also touched your family in a meaningful way.
Including one or more of these ministries in your estate plans is a way of expressing gratitude for those blessings while helping ensure they remain available to future generations.
A charitable bequest is one of the simplest forms of planned giving. It may be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, a particular asset or a portion of what remains after other provisions have been made. Because most bequests are revocable, you remain free to revise your plans if circumstances change.
Unfortunately, many Americans do not have a current will or estate plan. Without one, state law determines how an estate is distributed, leaving no opportunity to direct charitable gifts according to your own wishes. Preparing a will gives you the freedom to decide how the blessings God has entrusted to you will continue serving others.
Near the end of the parable of the talents, the master says to his servant, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Those words remind us that stewardship is about faithfulness, not simply generosity. It is about using every gift God has given us in a way that honors him.
A planned gift will never replace the importance of living generously today. Rather, it becomes the final chapter of a lifetime of stewardship. By remembering the church in our estate plans, we make one last decision rooted in gratitude, helping carry Christ’s mission forward for those who will come after us.